VARIOUS VITTLES

by Nancy Honssinger

The Ozark housewife's kitchen would be bustling with activity during the exciting days just
before Christmas. Besides preparing the various pies, puddings and cookies for Christmas
festivities, there would always be a day set aside for candy making. The kitchen would be bright
and alive with children's laughter as they helped their mother make and sample different kinds of
candy for the holidays. For years candy has been a favorite of young and old alike. Here are some
recipes I hope will satisfy your sweet tooth.

The first two recipes were found in my grandfather's old trunk. The rest were handwritten in my grandmother's
old cookbook.

CREAM CANDY
1 cup thick cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Butter the size of a walnut

Cook in a saucepan until the mixture will form a soft ball when dropped in cold water. Stir until cool, flavor to
suit your taste.

KARO FUDGE
2 squares of chocolate
1/2 cup milk
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup Karo syrup
2 Tbs. butter
Vanilla

Grate chocolate and stir in milk. Add granulated sugar and Karo syrup. Put over fire and stir in butter when
chocolate is melted. Cook slowly. Stir once in awhile. When mixture makes a soft ball in cold water it is done.
Flavor with vanilla.

JANUARY THAW
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup nuts
Butter the size of a walnut

Put sugar and milk in a saucepan and let it dissolve slowly. Add butter and let boil until it forms a ball when
dropped in cold water. Remove from stove and add the chopped nuts and beat well. Pour into a buttered pan and
when cooled cut into squares.

PEANUT BRITTLE
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. butter
1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts

Put sugar in iron saucepan and let it melt over a moderately hot fire. Add the butter and nuts and immediately
pour into a well greased pan. Mark into squares when sufficiently cooled.

MEXICAN CREAM CANDY

3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup milk
1 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Nuts

Carmelize 1 cup sugar, stir, add rest of sugar and milk. The carmelized sugar will harden (must be cooked very
slowly and stirred to dissolve). Cook until it forms a soft ball, add butter, vanilla and beat. Add nut meats before
pouring into pan.

DIVINITY
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup corn syrup 2 egg whites Vanilla
Cook sugar, water and syrup until it forms a soft ball in cold water. Pour half the cooked syrup over the egg
whites and beat. Cook the rest of the syrup until it forms a hard ball in cold water. Pour over egg whites and beat
then add vanilla.

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